Ma$e — Harlem World
Released in 1997, Mase’s Harlem World was the epitome of the “Shiny Suit era” and made the Harlem native one of the biggest rappers of the late 90s. However is this album a classic?
Hip-Hop in 1997 saw Diddy’s Bad Boy records hit new highs and lows. With the death of their number one MC, The Notorious B.I.G., there was a dark cloud over Bad Boy. However, it seemed that Biggie was orchestrating Bad Boy’s successes up in heaven. Sixteen days after his death, Biggie’s second album “Life After Death” was met with both critical and commercial success. The following Bad Boy release Diddy’s “No Way Out” included hip-hop’s first number one record, “I’ll Be Missing You”, going number one for eleven consecutive weeks. By October it was Mase’s turn, the Harlem native released a number one album, continuing Bad Boy’s successful “shiny suit era”. Backed with three top ten singles, “Harlem World” propelled Mase to be one of the most popular rappers at the time.
Backed by production from The Hitmen and The Neptunes, the albums singles are some of the biggest highlights. A classic off the record and one that has aged well is “Feel So Good”, a record that has consistently been played in clubs during a DJ’s “nostalgic” set. If there is a record with a music video that epitomises the “shiny suit era” “Feel So Good” is just that. Whilst “What You Want” featuring Total, is another classic and great Hip-Hop/R&B record of it’s time. “Lookin At Me”, produced by the legendary production duo The Neptunes, is a single that has grown on me as I personally viewed it as quite cringeworthy when I first heard it.
The album is not short of features, featuring fellow Bad Boy label mates such as Lil Kim, The Lox and Black Rob to southern rappers 8Ball and MJG. One of my personal favourite records on the album “Take What’s Yours” featuring DMX on the hook, shows Mase at his best lyrically. “All I ask when I die, dress me fly and neatly, and brush my waves so I’m handsome when the bi*ches greet me”. As the standout on the album, it just brings me to question why DMX didn’t have a verse on the song. The last good and classic record off the album is the posse cut of Mase, The Lox, Black Rob and DMX on “24 Hours to Live”. With Mase having the best verse on the song, as he raps “I’d do good sh*t like take kids from the ghetto, show them what they could have if they never settle, take every white kid from high class level, show ’em what Christmas like growin’ up in the ghetto”.
Unfortunately, the album does suffer from lacklustre moments and fillers. Records such as “Will They Die For You?” featuring Diddy and Lil’ Kim, which sounds like a cheap record for an action movie. “The Player Way” featuring 8Ball & MJG is another that I don’t care for and lacks replay value. By far the worst track is saved till last, “Jealous Guy” featuring 112, is a six minute catastrophe. Now it’s obvious both Mase and Diddy are joking around and having fun singing with bad voices, similar to how Biggie did on Life After Death’s “Player Hater”. Personally, I never found these songs funny and always viewed it as a waste of space on an album. Perhaps a funny interlude, however to make it a whole song is excessive. With records like “Player Hater” and “Jealous Guy” it either goes one way, you either hate it the first time or you laugh once, but you don’t return to it ever again.
In conclusion, though Mase’s run was short lived as he chose to retire from music and focus on religion, he was highly successful and became the star on Bad Boy’s roster after Biggie’s death. As an MC he held his own and shined lyrically amongst other great rappers such as DMX, Black Rob and The Lox members. On the other hand, Mase’s “Harlem World” is definitely not a classic and by far one of the most overrated rap albums of all time. Besides from New Yorker’s I don’t believe anyone else holds this album in high regard. The impact of the singles and the album’s commercial success has manipulated people into thinking it’s a classic album, apart from the singles and certain album cuts the rest of the album is filler and seems forced.